Waning
by Polki
Summary: Snape missed the first eight words of the prophecy, and that made all the difference. Now, Lord Voldemort rules over wizarding Britain, and Harry is a normal boy starting his first year at Hogwarts. But with Harry Potter, can anything ever be normal?
1. Chapter 1

"_...Dark Lord approaches ... born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies ... and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not ..."_

The door to the pub's back room slammed open and Severus Snape vanished instantly with a crack of apparation. He'd missed the beginning and end of the prophecy, but knew it involved his lord and that was enough. Perhaps this bit of information would gain him some favour and he'd be moved to the inner circle. He allowed himself a small smirk before settling back into the unemotional mask that had become custom on his face when visiting with the Dark Lord. Yes, He would be most pleased.

Chapter 1

"Quickly now, boys. Wands first."

Harry and Ethan both held one of their mother's hands. Even though Harry was eleven and Ethan nine, they didn't feel embarrassed. Since the rise of the Dark Lord, Diagon Alley had become a dangerous place for mixed blood like them. Harry doubted he and his brother would have been allowed to attend Hogwarts, run by the Dark Lord himself, if the law mandating that all non-mudblood magical children must attend wasn't in place. But it was, and Harry wasn't scared of being treated like a second-class citizen for his mixed blood - he was excited. He'd be learning magic and meeting other kids his own age!

"You're up, Harry," his mother said quickly, pushing him gently but firmly up to the counter. He'd zoned out through his brother getting his wand. Ethan had his light brown wand out and was waving it in the air, watching in wonder as silver sparks shot out the end and drifted to the floor, disappearing into the worn wooden boards.

"Harry Potter," the old man behind the counter, Ollivander, rasped. "I've been expecting you."

Harry swallowed nervously. "It's nice to meet you, sir" he said politely, remembering the manners his mother taught him.

The old man, satisfied for the moment, harrumphed and dug beneath the counter. A few moments later he pulled out a pitch black box. There was some sort of green design on the top, but before Harry could see what was on it Ollivander quickly opened the box, took out the contents, and stashed it back under the counter. It was a long white wand.

"For you, Mr Potter." The old man gave Harry a sharp look as he handed the boy the wand.

Harry glanced over at his mother quickly, but she was preoccupied with looking out the window and scanning the streets to notice that Mr Ollivander was acting a bit odd. Nevertheless, he took the wand and waved it, like he remembered his mother doing many years ago and his brother was doing now. Inky black smoke came out the tip, trailing along the path he drew. The blackness twisted around itself for a few moments before dissipating into the air.

"Yew, Phoenix Feather, 13 ½ inches," Ollivander said loudly, then lowered his voice to a whisper Harry could barely hear. "That's a very valuable wand, Mr Potter, and I warn you to take care of it because you won't like the consequences if you don't."

Harry swallowed nervously again and quickly nodded his head. "Of course, sir."

"Eighteen Galleons, Ma'am," Ollivander said louder to Harry's mother.

"Mum, can I get a wand holder?" Ethan asked.

"No, sweetheart." She began digging in her wallet. "The price really has gone up, hasn't it?" she said offhandedly to Ollivander.

"What about for Christmas, then?"

"Ethan," Harry began, "Hogwarts is one of the safest places in the world. I'm sure we won't need a wand holder," he lied between his teeth.

"Muggleborn sales tax," Ollivander said, accepting the money and giving her a receipt in return.

"Of course," Lily said bitterly before swallowing down her negative emotions and putting the receipt carefully into her purse. She knew that Harry knew how she felt – nothing much got past Harry these days, but she still liked to think that Ethan was mostly innocent to the ways of the world. And she'd like to keep it that way, at least for a little while longer.

"But I heard there's dueling!" Ethan said as they walked out of the store.

"Only for Harry," their mother said, taking their hands. "Lower Years don't do combat magic."

Last year, the Dark Lord implemented a system into Hogwarts where from ages 9-10, half-blood students (lower years) attended Hogwarts and learned the basics of magic, laws, and other such things that the purebloods had an advantage over them. Hogwarts tested out the system with 9-year-olds last year, and it was such a success that it was decided to be kept indefinitely.

Ethan frowned as they entered the bookstore and went immediately to the second-hand section in the back. They got to the Hogwarts textbook section, when suddenly a white-haired man with a cane appeared near them. "Ms Potter," he said sternly. "A word, if you will." Harry and Ethan had seen the man only a handful of times before, and he always made their mother nervous. She said his name was Mr Malfoy.

"Of course," she said. "Harry, Ethan, I'll be right over there." She pointed over by the registers about twenty feet away, then handed them each their school list. "Quickly, find the items on your lists."

"What if we find another book we _really_ need?" Ethan asked.

She gave a nervous look at Mr Malfoy. "If you find all the cheapest textbooks, I'll see what I can do."

Ethan gave a big grin and started hunting through the shelves. Harry gave a worried look at his mother, but she smiled reassuringly before turning away and Harry began his search as well.

It had been ten minutes and each boy had found all the books they needed, cheapest versions possible. One of Harry's was missing part of the cover and nearly all had writing in them, but most of Ethan's were in good condition, since they were all only a year old. Harry had tried in vain to listen in on Mr Malfoy and his mother's conversation, but there was so much noise in the store he couldn't hear anything.

"Look what I found!" Ethan said, holding up a book for Harry to see. The cover said _Curses and Counter-curses_ and Ethan opened it up, showing Harry a page in the middle. "_Jelly-Legs Jinx_," Harry read from the page. "Mum would never let us have this," he said, trying as fast as possible to memorize how to perform the spell.

"You are correct," Lily said from behind Harry, making him jump. When Harry put back the book, dejected, she continued. "However, there might just be a copy in the Hogwarts library."

Harry perked back up and his brother gave a wide grin. "Awesome!" Ethan said.

"Did you find everything, boys?"

They gave their lists and books to their mother and the three of them bought the items and left the store.

"What did Mr Malfoy say, mum?" Harry asked.

"Nothing you need to worry about," Lily said with a smile. "Now, let's get the rest of the items on your lists, shall we?"

Harry could tell his mother was faking the smile, but he didn't say anything (even though he suspected his mother knew that he knew) for the sake of his brother who wasn't paying attention. "Of course, mother," Harry said obediently. He loved his mother, but was really looking forward to Hogwarts, where he'd be free to learn magic, and maybe, if he and his brother were gone for a while, his mother would stop being so sad.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Quickly now boys. Do you have your robes? Books?"

"Yes," Harry and Ethan chorused.

"Tickets? Obviously, of course. How about wands? Ethan, did you pack your emergency na-"

"MUM!" Ethan yelled in horror as Harry subtly felt his pocket for his wand. His mother told them never to let it off their person, and Harry was going to make sure it was with him at all times (even in the shower!)

"Yes, mum," Harry said and gave her a hug before she could say anything else. "I'll miss you," he said.

"I love you, Harry," he whispered in his ear. "And Ethan!" she said, giving him a big hug when she finished with Harry. When they were finished, she continued. "I'll see you both for the Christmas Hols. Send the school owls often – I'll be sure to reply straight away. Make new friends. Oh, and," she pulled a few of sickles from her pocket and handed two to each of the boys. "Get yourself something sweet to eat on the train."

"Thanks, mum!" Ethan said and with a final hug, took his trunk and scampered onto the train.

"Harry," she called as her second son was about to get onto the train. He turned his head to look back at his mother. "Do your best. And protect your brother." At Harry's nod, she smiled. "I look forward to seeing all the spells you've learned when you come home. You're smart – I know you'll do great at Hogwarts."

Harry nodded, hoping he could live up to his mother's expectations. "Bye, mum," he said before turning back to the train and following his brother onto it.

"They say I have to go to the front of the train!" Ethan said frantically.

"Lower years ride in the first two cars, first years in the third," a tall, thin boy with neat sandy brown hair and freckles said. "I'm sorry if you two have to split up, but it's the rules. If you have any other questions, my name is Percy Weasley and I'm one of the prefects on this train. To your left are the lower and first year cars."

"Thanks," Harry said politely as the boy left. "I'll see you when we get to the castle, Ethan, don't worry. Until then, try to meet some people, yeah?"

Ethan nodded and followed Harry to the front of the train. He was strangely silent the entire way.

"What's wrong?" asked Harry.

Ethan shook his head. "It's just... I've never been apart from you, not really."

"Are you scared?" Harry asked with a bit of a smirk.

"No! I'm not scared of nothin'!"

"Well good, since you're so brave it'll be easy for you to make new friends."

Ethan blinked, realizing he'd been fooled. "Fine!" he said as they stopped before the second car. "I'll make awesome friends! Then I'll introduce you to them and you'll be jealous!"

"Later, Earache."

"Bye, Hercules," Ethan said back before entering the car, and Harry shivered slightly. Hercules was what his mum had wanted to name him, before deciding Harry would be better. He'd never thanked his mother more than when he heard that story.

Harry walked down the aisle. His bigger worn trunk was packed in the storage car, and he just had his wand and a book in one of the large pockets on his oversized robes (his mother's motto was "you'll grow into it.") There was a window on every door, and most of the compartments were already full. It seemed that the other students had already formed groups of friends.

As he passed by, he met eyes with a boy that had the same colour hair as Mr Malfoy. Before he could continue, the boy opened the compartment door. "Join us," he commanded.

Harry looked down the hallway. There were only a few more compartments remaining to check, and it would be impolite to reject the offer... "Alright, thank-you," Harry said and entered the compartment, taking the last empty seat next to the blonde boy.

"Malfoy. Draco Malfoy." Draco held out his hand.

"Harry Potter," Harry replied and shook it.

Draco smirked. "Potter, eh? I do believe that we own your... home."

"Your father owns it, along with half of Britain." He glanced over at the two boys across from them. "And if I may ask for your names..."

"This is Crabbe and Goyle," Draco said, gesturing to them vaguely. They grunted. "They're not terribly bright, so don't even try starting a conversation with them."

"So am I here just to relieve your boredom from the lack of good conversational partners?"

"Perhaps," Draco said good naturedly, "and if you play your cards right, you might just be promoted to lackey, like them."

"I wouldn't call that a promotion," Harry said, winking at Crabbe/Goyle, who gave a small smirk back. "However, if you throw in a broomstick, you've got yourself a deal." Harry couldn't believe he was actually joking with a Malfoy, not after he'd seen the state Mr Malfoy reduced his mother to multiple times. A bit of the happiness and charisma left Harry at that thought.

"I like you, Potter," Draco said abruptly. "I don't know why, but I do. I've decided we're going to become friends."

"Friendship isn't exactly something you can command from someone else," Harry said with a frown, all humour from before gone.

"Not friends, then: Comrades. Ubi amici, ibi opes. Where there are friends, there is wealth. You have much to profit from this arrangement."

"Wealth, hmm?" He couldn't dispute that having a Malfoy on his side would help leaps and bounds against people against half-bloods. "And what of you?"

"Let's just say that I know you're an investment worth making." Draco smirked and stuck out his hand once more. "What do you say to a covenant, Potter?"

_More like a deal with the devil_. _But mother did tell me to make friends..._ Harry imitated Draco's smirk and shook his hand. _However, something tells me that she wouldn't approve of this one._


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I realise I use a lot of naughty words in this chapter, so I've decided to increase the rating to 'M' for language, as well as (future) violence and twisted themes. Also, this is not a Super!Harry. It's _not._ Even though it may seem like it for a second in this chapter, trust me, it really, really isn't.

Chapter 3

"Looking for something, Potter?" whispered Draco.

Harry continued to scan the Great Hall. "My brother."

"Upper or lower?"

"Lower," Harry said, still looking.

"Lower years are kept in the east wing of the castle. There's a smaller dining area for them as well." He noticed Harry was still anxious about his brother. "You'll be able to see him tomorrow, probably."

Harry nodded just as an old, stooped man who introduced himself as Deputy Headmaster Dolohov went to the centre of the hall and placed a hat on the stool before slowly walking away.

The hat opened its brim and sang a song. Harry tried listening, but ended up tuning it out, not being interested in song, poetry or rhyme.

When it was finished, the deputy headmaster went back to the front of the hall and began calling names. "Crabbe, Vincent" and "Goyle, Gregory" were both called, both going to Slytherin. Finally, "Malfoy, Draco" was called.

The hat barely touched his head before calling out "Slytherin!"

Malfoy preened and sauntered over to the table clad in green and silver.

Not long after, "Potter, Harry" was called.

Harry went up and sat on the stool, and placed the hat on his head.

"Hmm," said a small voice in his ear. "Difficult. Very difficult. Plenty of intelligence, I see. You certainly understand things other boys your age wouldn't. Courage as well, and I daresay you got that from your father."

Harry's hands tightened on seat of the stool.

"There's talent, my goodness, yes - and a nice thirst to prove yourself, now that's interesting... So where shall I put you?"

_Not Gryffindor_.

"Not Gryffindor, eh? Well, you're in luck because it wasn't even considered, no, while you are brave... no, it would never work. You're much more of a raven or snake, and I'm leaning towards the latter. With the right motivation you could dance like the best, however I'm leery as to how you'll be treated as a half-blood in this day and age."

Harry thought of Draco Malfoy.

"True," the hat said. "Besides, you wouldn't be the first half-blood I've sorted there, and certainly not the last. Very well, try not to get into too much trouble in SLYTHERIN!"

As Professor Dolohov took the hat off Harry's head, the hat whispered in his ear "keep your wand sharp and your wits sharper, young slytherin."

Harry swallowed uncomfortably before giving the hat a small nod and walking over to the Slytherin table. Although he didn't know any spells yet, he subtly felt his pocket, making sure his wand was still there. Maybe he should get a head start on his reading before classes tomorrow. They'd gone to Diagon Alley yesterday so he hadn't had a chance before now.

"Took you long enough," Draco said, putting away the black journal he had been writing in and moving over to make a spot for Harry. "Potter, meet Nott, Parkinson, Greengrass, Davis and Bulstrode." He pointed each out as he said their names. "Slytherins, meet Potter."

"But... isn't he a _half-blood_?" Pansy Parkinson stage whispered to Draco.

Draco gave her a flat look. "Anyone else have stupid questions? No? Good."

A black boy sat down across from Harry.

"Potter, Zabini. Zabini, Potter," Draco introduced them as the food appeared.

"Pleasure, I'm sure," Zabini said superiorly, and not waiting for a reply he started to eat.

The next hour was very uncomfortable. The others at the table (besides Draco) obviously didn't think Harry belonged, and really, Harry didn't. They talked about pureblood politics, ancestry, quidditch, and made small jokes and jibes at each other's parentage or current events that Harry had no idea about. They didn't go out of their way to ignore Harry, but really, Harry just had nothing to add. He couldn't understand what they were talking about half the time since his family grew up in the muggle world, and they couldn't afford a subscription to _The Daily Prophet_.

Bored, Harry took out his copy of _A Beginners Guide to the Dueling_ and began reading.

"Bit of a bookworm, aren't you," Zabini said loudly, making sure Harry heard. "And silent like a hufflepuff. Can you even speak?"

Harry flipped to the index of the book, looking for something to shut Zabini up. _Silencing Spell, (232)_.

"Bet your mudblood mother fucked you up, yeah? Beasts shouldn't be trusted with children. I'm surprised you're even alive, that she could keep you without-"

_Swish and flick. _ "_Silencio_."

Zabini's mouth kept opening and closing, but this time no sound was coming out.

Harry went back to his book with a smirk of satisfaction, but he didn't dare look up in case the looks around him were displeasing. Had he looked up, he would have seen the other first years with dumbstruck looks on their faces (a feat for children who were raised taught to keep their emotions in check) and a maniacal grin on Draco's. Zabini's face was starting to turn red with the force he was trying to talk. Harry felt a wand poke him in the shoulder, burning as it did. He looked up and saw Zabini write with his wand in the air '_counter it!_'

Harry said "no" and went back to his book.

Up at the head table, Severus Snape, headmaster of Hogwarts, outwardly looked cool and composed, but had his emotions shown he would have had a small frown on his face. His attention was focused on Harry Potter, son of his beloved Lily and that fucker Potter.

And the prophecy... he could never forget that. Of course everyone thought Longbottom was the obvious choice, but now that Harry has His wand, everything was askew.

Snape watched as Harry performed a simple silencing charm on Blaise Zabini. _Hopefully his mother didn't teach him that_, Snape thought, worried for Lily. _Then again, I shudder to think what a boy like him will become, able to perform a mid-level spell on his first try._

Thorfinn Rowle, potions professor (though not as good as Snape, he was an intimidating fellow) appeared next to him. "We have a bit of a problem on the third floor, Headmaster."

Snape inwardly sighed at the disturbance, a daily occurrence, and went back to running the school.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: As this chapter is the start of the story getting darker (Voldemort rules, everything's not sunshine and daisies) I've included warnings (2) at the end of this chapter. They are spoilers, so only go to them if you have flashbacks.

Chapter 4

Harry rushed to the Great Hall, his large book bag bouncing at his side. He'd set his muggle alarm clock to an early hour so he'd be able to read some more of his textbooks, but the magic must have short circuited it and he was late for breakfast. _I need to learn an alarm spell_, he thought absently. When he got to the great hall, he stopped, took a few calming breaths, and walked in as if he planned on arriving late.

Harry slid into his seat next to Draco just as their head, Dolohov, got to their end of the table and gave Harry his schedule. "Do try to be on time, Mr Potter," he warned before heading back to the teacher's table.

"Transfiguration first," Draco said with a scowl. "I've heard McGonagall is a right bint."

Harry looked at his schedule. It was crazy – on Tuesday he had straight classes through from 9:10 to 20:00 with breaks only for food. Each other day he had one fifty-minute free period, but it still seemed like a lot to do in one day. He'd gone to muggle Primary school, and it was only for half as long each day. Although, if he wanted to get strong enough to protect his brother, perhaps it was for the best that he had so much to do.

_Ethan_. He nearly forgot about him with everything that'd been happening. Draco was looking over Harry's shoulder at his schedule. "Any idea where the lower years are?" he asked Draco.

"You should be able to see him during Basics."

"What's Basics?"

Draco pointed to his 17:10-18:00 slot, held every weekday and Harry heard Zabini, this time sitting on the other side of Draco, snicker. "Basics of the wizarding world for half-bloods. It's a replacement for those that weren't a Lesser Year."

Not long after that the group of first year Slytherins left the table and went to their first class of the day. As they entered the room, Draco (and therefore the rest of the Slytherins) went to the left side of the room. Harry ended up in the back of the group, not really next to anyone, but he didn't mind. It meant he could read his book until class started.

Transfiguration was pretty boring. McGonagall transformed from a cat to a person, which was cool, but then gave them a speech on the importance of not messing around in her class. Afterwards, she spent the rest of class going over the theory of turning a matchstick into a needle. It was only a fifty minute period so they didn't have enough time to actually try doing it, although McGonagall promised that next class (Wednesday) they would, and that everyone should read chapter 1 of the textbook. Harry got out his planner and wrote it down, along with 'find alarm spell' so he wouldn't forget.

Second class was Dark Arts and Defense. Going in, Harry wasn't sure what to think. His mother told him that the Dark Arts were bad, but if it was on the Hogwarts curriculum then they couldn't be that bad, could they?

Their professor was the deputy headmaster and head of slytherin house, Professor Dolohov, and went much the same as Transfiguration, although this time it was a double period. Next class they'd be going more over protecting themselves from dark creatures. Herbology with Sprout and Potions with Rowle went much the same way: warning, information, homework, no practical. During lunch and tea time he read some of each his books and took notes, since he wouldn't have a lot of time during the rest of the day for homework (lights out was at 22:00 on weekdays for first years). Then after tea time came the class he was most looking forward to: Basics. It'd only been a day since he'd seen his brother, and he wasn't particularly worried about him, but Harry thought that Ethan might be really scared. After all, they'd never been separated before – they even slept in the same room and went to a one-room primary school, so they were in the same class even if they learned different things.

Harry went into the classroom ten minutes early, only to find that it was the size of a lecture hall (even had raised levels so people in the back could see) and was already packed full of students of all ages. It was clearly separated by houses then year, but Harry couldn't see anyone else with a green tie (or lesser years for that matter). Some of the students began staring at him and whispering –_a Slytherin in Basics?_- and he tried ignoring it, making his face a blank mask and standing up straight, contrary to the hunching over and hiding he wanted to do. After all, if Ethan saw him he'd have to be acting strong. The Gryffindors were giving him a hostile look and the Hufflepuffs looked scared of him, but the Ravenclaws looked neutral so he went over there and sat with the first years.

"Hello, I'm Harry Potter," he said to the group. A few gave a nod, but otherwise went back to their conversation so Harry took out his Potions book, subtly glancing around the room every few minutes, looking for his brother.

Finally, the clock struck 17:10 and a door at the front of the classroom opened. An older man with neat, grey hair entered. "Those of you who are third year and above know me from Dueling," he said and Harry saw a few students shudder, "but for those of you who don't know me, my name is Professor Mulciber. This year we've decided to do an accelerated class, so if you took Basics last year you'll only have to stay for the first half; if you are a first year, you'll need to stay the full fifty minutes. Now, to get this class started: how many of you grew up in the muggle world?"

Harry was about to raise his hand, but nobody else did so he kept it down.

"Now now, we can't have that can we? If you grew up in the muggle world, _raise your hand."_

Harry barely saw the man's wand leave his robe, but he certainly felt the compulsion to raise his hand. Apparently half the class did as well, because he soon found himself and another thirty people raising their hands.

"Good," Mulciber said with a toothy smile and Harry no longer felt compelled to raise his hand. _Find counter to whatever spell he used,_ Harry thought, and quickly wrote it in his planner.

Mulciber pointed his wand at a boy with sandy blonde hair near the front of the room that had had his hand raised. "You there, Finnigan. Yes, the first year with the horrid red tie. Why are muggles evil?"

The boy looked scared. "I... don't think muggles are evil, sir."

Mulciber waved his wand at the boy, a jet of silver light coming out the end and hitting Finnigan. The boy jumped as if stung. "You!" Mulciber pointed at a first-year Hufflepuff on the other side of the room Harry remembered getting sorted, but couldn't remember his name. "Why are muggles evil?"

"Because..." he looked around, desperately hoping he'd somehow find the answer. "Because they're not wizards?"

Mulciber rolled his eyes but didn't hex the boy. "And I suppose unicorns and goblins are evil as well." There was a smattering of chuckles from some of the first years. "Perhaps we need a Slytherin's opinion." Mulciber spun around and pointed his wand at Harry. "You boy, why are muggles evil?"

Harry took a deep breath, thinking for a few seconds on what the teacher would want to hear. He didn't actually think muggles were evil, but if he didn't want to be hexed like the Gryffindor (or worse, laughed at like the Hufflepuff) he'd have to think of something fast. "Muggles, while they don't have the capacity to use magic, have the capability of building bombs, using electricity, and emulating-"

"Enough!" Mulciber yelled, cutting Harry off and giving him a disproving look. "Much too wordy and off topic. I expected more from a Slytherin."

Harry felt a worm of guilt in his stomach at having disappointed his teacher.

"McLaggen!" Mulciber shouted, pointing at a Gryffindor. "Why are muggles evil?"

McLaggen stood quickly. "Muggles are dirty, sir! They lack the magic and intelligence that sets wizards apart. They eat their own kind, and are soulless creatures which even dementors shy away from." A few of the older students laughed. "Furthermore, muggles must be exterminated for the betterment of society."

Harry felt cold as Mulciber began a slow clap. "A heartfelt answer – colour me impressed. You seem to have learned _something_ from Alecto. You may sit." Mulciber began pacing across the room. "Muggles are animals. Many of you may have grown up with them and even had a muggle parent. _Don't be fooled_. They are sad, poor little creatures at the bottom of the food chain. Older students, you may now leave."

A few of them gave a pitying look at the first years as they left, while others smirked as they exited the room.

Once they were gone, Mulciber said "Now how many of you have successfully cast a spell yet? Don't be shy – I won't ask where you learned it."

This time Harry raised his hand on his own, as well as two other Ravenclaws – a girl and a boy – and a short boy in Hufflepuff.

"You four, come down here." They did, and Mulciber waved his wand. Four dummies appeared on stage left. "I'm going to teach you a spell called the severing charm. Everyone else, pay attention because you'll be practicing it next class. It's used to cut things, and is a basic spell. I expect at least one of you to get it correct before class ends. The incantation is 'Diffindo' and the wand movement is a simple slash. These-" Mulciber pointed at the dummies "-are spell tester dummies. If you do the spell correctly they will turn bright green, if incorrectly bright red, and every colour in between for mixed results." Mulciber slashed his wand at one of the dummies and said "Diffindo!" The dummy he aimed for turned a bright green. "Now begin. The rest of you! Read up on this spell in your textbook, chapter one."

Harry chose his spell tester dummy. He copied the professor, and the second he got to the end of his slash said "Diffindo." The spell hit the dummy, but it turned a dark orange colour.

"Good," the professor said from behind him. "Next time put more feeling into your spell. Without emotions, spell casting is useless. You have to _want_ the dummy to be slashed. And the rest of you! Aim for the dummy; Potter and Hopkins are the only ones that hit the thing!"

Harry smiled proudly, and then focused once again on the dummy. _I want it to cut open_. "_Diffindo!_"

The dummy turned a sickly yellow colour. Harry looked around at the other students. The Ravenclaws were still having a hard time aiming properly, but the Hufflepuff, Hopkins, had already managed to turn the dummy a forest green color.

Not to be outdone, Harry took careful aim and hissed "_Diffindo!"_

This time the dummy turned bright green, almost as green as Mulciber's had. Harry looked at Hopkin's dummy and noted with satisfaction that it was a bit darker than his own.

"Wonderful!" Mulciber said. "Two students have already learned the spell in less than five minutes! Harry, Wayne, I do believe you two will go far in this class. Not that I had any doubt about a snake. Five points to slytherin and hufflepuff. Useless ravenclaws, get back to your seats."

Harry and Wayne stood next to each other at the front of the classroom and waited for the professor to continue.

"We have fifteen minutes left in class, so how about a little demonstration? I was going to save this until next time, but since we're so far ahead, why not?" Mulciber smiled widely and waved his wand. A giant cage appeared in front of the two boys and they quickly took a step back. Inside was a snarling man, dirty and skinny covered with only a loincloth. His teeth were pointed and yellow, and his eyes narrowed. He clawed and shoved at the bars, trying to get out of his cage.

"This here is a muggle!" Mulciber shouted over the man's snarling. "It's grotesque, don't you think?!" Mulciber waved his wand, stunning the man, and banished the cage. "Ten points to whichever of you stops him first." Harry looked at the professor and then the hufflepuff in terror. They'd have to fight this thing?! It wasn't a muggle – it was a monster! The professor laughed as he waved his wand and the... _thing_ came back to life. "Begin!"

Harry ran as fast as he could away from it, but found that there was a barrier preventing him from escaping. Mulciber laughed as Wayne slashed his wand and shouted the spell, but had to jump out of the way as the 'muggle' launched itself at him, and his spell went askew.

"Hopkins!" Harry shouted, but the other boy couldn't hear over the snarling of the beast. "Hopkins! _Silencio!_" The muggle stopped snarling.

"Cast the goddamn cutting spell Potter!" Wayne yelled. The animal was silenced, but could still run.

Wayne started running for Harry this time and jumped out of the way, but the animal continued, seeing Harry as the easier target.

"_Diffindo_," Harry cast, but the animal merely staggered before running at Harry again.

There was nowhere for Harry to go. It was too close to run left or right, and there was a barrier behind him. He saw Hopkins shoot a spell and the animal stopped and howled silently for a moment, its back slashed.

"Go for its throat!"

Adrenalin rushing through him, Harry quickly slashed his wand and put all his might behind the spell. "_Diffindo_!"

"You got it!" Mulciber cheered as Harry, shaking, slid slowly to the ground. The barrier behind him vanished, but he hardly noticed as he saw the muggle choking on its own blood. Its mouth opened and closed silently as it dropped to the ground, and seconds later it wasn't moving.

Wayne had tears in his eyes as he shakily cast the cutting charm at the muggle's head once more, like one would a zombie, making sure it was dead for good. The lifeless head rolled across the floor, blood spilling from the severed area and leaving a long trail. Someone in the back of the room puked.

"This here," Mulciber said, "is what happens when an adult muggle goes against a young wizard. Even in our first year of schooling, we can defeat them. They are weak, useless creatures. _Never_ feel guilt from their extermination.

Guilt? Harry wasn't sure what he felt. He felt numb, that was for certain. And he was shaking. He looked down at his bloody robes; the muggle's blood had splattered when he... when he killed it, and he felt annoyed that his new (to him) robes were already soiled.

As if reading his mind, Mulciber waved his wand and Harry and Wayne's robes were clean. The body was still on the floor.

"The rest of you lot! Learn the spell. We'll be covering it tomorrow. Potter, Hopkins, good job today – ten points to your houses each. Class dismissed."

Harry glanced at Hopkins, who was shaking like him, in left over adrenalin or because he was scared Harry wasn't sure, and was making his way back up to the rest of the hufflepuffs, who were pelting him with questions.

Harry made his way back to the ravenclaws and picked up his things.

"Hey, I'm Mandy," the girl who had gone up there with Harry said. "Would you like to go to the library with us before lights out? We have some food that we took from lunch and would be willing to share, since we'd be missing dinner. And if you could tell us more about the cutting charm, that would be great."

Harry thought they'd have decided to dislike him, after all he'd basically shown the two ravenclaws up, but apparently the ravenclaws were not as bitter as he'd expected and valued knowledge over personal grudges. Harry still felt numb. Maybe some reading would help get his mind off the... murder? Self-defence?

"Sure," Harry found himself saying, and the group of ravenclaws and lone slytherin went to the library together.

o.O.v.O.o

"Heard you killed a muggle today," Draco whispered to Harry. Harry had come in just before lights out and Draco was busy writing in his journal so they couldn't talk earlier, but Harry and Draco's beds were next to each other so they could whisper at night without annoying the others in the room.

"You heard correct," Harry said. The reading and discussion of classes kept his mind off the killing, and he even found an alarm spell, but now that it was time to sleep Harry couldn't stop thinking about it even though he was extremely worn out from his full day. How his wand slashed, the light hitting the muggle's jugular, and it opened like a flap, the light leaving its eyes-

"How was it? Father let me attend a mugglefight once, but I've never participated."

"It was..." Harry said after a minute, "surprising. And messy." _And numbing_.

"I wish I was there. To think- killing a muggle yourself!"

"Wayne was there too, and the professor."

"But you landed the killing blow, I heard all about it. Anyways, I knew you'd be a good friend, or comrade, or whatever. You're going to go far here, mark my words. Hell, you might even be chosen as a Death Eater in a few years!" Draco had a smile that Harry didn't like, as if he was hiding something, but Harry was too tired to care. Maybe in the morning he'd think about it again.

"I don't know if I'd want to kill again." _Or join the Death Eathers_, Harry thought. His mother had told him and Ethan awful stories about them. Ethan... he'd have to search for him tomorrow.

"They're beasts, Harry," Draco said, using his first name for once. "It's not like they actually think, or anything."

_But the muggles near my home thought, and lived, and while they weren't kind, they weren't menacing beasts. They were humans._ But Harry couldn't say that out loud, because a raised pureblood like Draco who'd never seen a muggle before outside of sport wouldn't understand. _Harry_ didn't even know if he understood anymore. Maybe he should write to his mother tomorrow and see what she thought about all this.

Sunk costs. That's the word she used whenever something bad happened to them. The past is in the past; ignore it and look towards the future. So that's what Harry would do. If he had to kill more muggle beasts, so be it. Those things weren't real muggles; they were crazed animals. But he would pretend – if it would help his and his family's status in the wizarding world and get him through Hogwarts, he would pretend.

Warnings: Death by beheading/throat slit. Slightly graphic flashback.


End file.
